


Never too late

by TheWildOmega



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Heavy Angst, Infertility, Probably a little OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:21:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28603599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWildOmega/pseuds/TheWildOmega
Summary: Family the thing he wanted most.
Relationships: Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	Never too late

Standing outside of the shack on the outskirts of nowhere he felt the cold rain run down his face as he stared in the window. His clothes were soaking wet but he paid them no mind. Thunder and lightning shook the ground beneath his feet, lighting up the night's sky every so often. Truly anyone would be a damn fool to be out here in this mess and a fool he was, an old fool. 

Staring at the woman on the other side of the glass he felt his heart pound in his chest. His mouth went dry and his stomach turned painfully. It had been thirty years since he had last layed eyes on her. She wasn't the same young woman she had been then, she had aged and so had he. Her once long, h/c hair was now only a little past her shoulders and as white as his mustache. She looked thin, frail almost, arms that were once lean with muscles were now blanketed by the sleeves of her shirt. Scanning her face he felt his lip twitch when he took in how downhearted she looked. Nothing like the constant happiness she always raditated when they were younger. Those once plump lips that he loved to kiss and see smile were turned downwards in a set frown. Her eyes that were once full of such life and love now stared down at her barely eaten plate of food with an emptiness. She was nothing more than a shell of the woman he remembered, of the woman he had been ready to call his wife. 

A fool. He was such a damn fool. 

_Sitting beside her he held her hand in his larger one as they waited for the doctor to come into the room. Her knee bounced and her lip was soon to start bleeding as she gnawed on it. "Yer gonna wear a hole in your lip if you keep on." he told her, moving his thumb to pull her lip from her teeth and then stroke her jaw. "Everything is gonna be fine so you just quit you worrying." he told her, attempting to keep up his positive attitude. As the door opened he looked up to the man and saw his face set in a firm look._

_"I'm not going to beat around the bush..." he sighed. "The results of your scans came back Ms. l/n and I'm sorry to tell you that the damage to your uterus all those years ago is what is causing your infertility."_

_Swallowing hard your hand subconsciously went to your lower abdomen, your thumb tracing over the scar there from where you had gotten shot. "O..okay so is there anything that can be don..."_

_"I'm afraid there isn't. It pains me to have to tell you this but you will never be able to bare children. I am so sorry."_

_Watching numbly as the doctor left the both of you alone in the room you felt your heart hammer in your chest. It felt as though your lungs had stopped working. Starring at the door still your eyes shakingly moved to look beside you when you felt his hand pull away from yours. "Ed..." you whispered out. His eyes never once looked to you, he didn't say a word as he crossed the room and left as well. Blinking you felt your heart fall to your stomach, tears rolled down your cheeks and a sob fell from your lips. Bending over you buried your face in your hands and cried._

He had just left her. Left her alone to deal with the heartbreaking news on her own. At the time all he had been able to focus on was his own broken heart, he hadn't even registered how much she was hurting. For three days he had stayed away from his own ship, drinking until he couldn't feel a damn thing. By the time he had finally given up and walked back to the ship she was gone. The crew looked him with sorrow as he made his way into their shared cabin to find all of her things had been removed from the room. What was even worse is that he remembered being slightly relieved when he found her note telling him how she wasn't going to be the one to hold him back from his dream. Giving the order they had left the island without him even once trying to go find her. 

It proved to be all in vain though, all those years and not once did he ever find another that came close to take her place in his heart. He never had any relationships after he and he never fathered any children. Sure he had taken in many children that he called his own but never did his family feel complet. She had been the one, the only one he would ever love and he had just walked away. As time passed he never could get up the courage to go seek her out, not after everything he had done. Only now when he was dying did he finally man up. He wouldn't blame her if she turned him away, if she yelled, if she hit him, all he wished was to see her again, to tell her how sorry he was. 

Swallowing hard he took a deep breath and stood tall as he walked over to the door and knocked three times. Hearing the scrap of the chair on the floorboards he tried to slow his racing heart. When the wooden door opened with a creak he froze in place, holding his breath. It had been over thirty years but she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. 

Answering the door you felt the cold night's air whisk into your home, felt the wind blown rain hitting your bare feet and hand. Waiting you listened intently but heard nothing. "Hello. Is someone there?"

She was looking right at him, well right at his chest. Knitting his brows he watched her head slowly turn a little to the side, seemingly looking out beside him. 

"Hello? Jade is that you?" 

Finally looking into her eyes he felt his mouth go dry and his breath catch in his throat. They were grey, clouded over. She was blind. Paralyzed he just stood there and stared down at her. She stood there for a moment longer before he saw her face fell, a look of pure isolation coming over her beautiful face. Her sightless eyes dropped down as she slowly moved to close the door. Quickly sticking his boot between the door and the frame to stop it he finally took in a much needed breath. "Y/n..."

Gasping you snapped your eyes up out of habit alone and felt your breath hitch in your chest. You knew that voice, it was a tad bit deeper now, rougher but you would never be able to forget it. Only that voice alone could make your knees grow weak. "E..ed?"

Seeing her trembling hand move towards him he felt a knot form in his throat and moved his own hand to take it. "A..aye lass." he said, his voice breaking. Watching as her clouded eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip trembled he swallowed thickly. 

"I'm s..sorry..." you sobbed out, tears rolling down your cheeks. 

She was apologizing to him? Of course she was, she was selfless, that's how she had always been, ever since they were children. 

Sniffling, your shoulders shook and you dropped your head low, "I... f..failed you." 

It was like someone had stuck a blade straight through his heart. Without warning he fell to his knees in front of her and felt tears fall from his own eyes. "No darlin' I failed you. I abandoned you and I... I am so so sorry." he cried. "I was a fool, a selfish fool. I walked away from the best thing in my life when she needed me most. Oh Gods Y/n I am so incredibly sorry." 

Hearing him sobbing you moved forward and felt his strong arms wrap around your middle. 

Holding her like his life depended on it he buried his face into her chest and cried, all of his emotions from the years hitting him at once. 

They had both stayed there, crying into one another's embrace for a long while. Realizing she too was now wet and cold he stood from the steps, his arms still holding her tightly as he lifted her up and carried her inside the small home, kicking the door shut behind him. Leaning forward to kiss her his lips barely touched her before she was pulling away and dipping her head, her eyes closed.

"Ed you don't want to... I mean we can't...I can't..." Stumbling over your words you felt your heart aching as all of your insecurities started bombarding you. You wanted to kiss him, to touch him, to be with him again but you knew that wasn't possible, nor fair to him.

Knitting his brows he glanced to her and saw her ashamed. "Why?"

"I'm... I can't..."

Watching as her trembling fingers moved to her closed eyes he furrowed his brows. Swallowing hard he lifted his chin and moved to take her small hand in one of his so he could bring it to his face. "You think that matters to me?" Seeing her lip twitch he leaned his forehead to touch hers. "Lass open yer eyes." Watching as they slowly opened he looked into them and let out a sigh. "I love you, all of you. Doesn't matter to me if you can see or not." he told her and saw as she blinked and a tear fell from the right one. Kissing her lips again he grinned. "Besides the way I remember it we were always good at exploring each other's bodies in the dark anyways." he told her and heard her chuckle softly, her lips turning up into a small smile before he claimed them again.

One by one denched items of clothes dropped to the floor from the living room, all the way into the only bedroom. Continuing to kiss her he cracked his eyes open to glance around the small room. It was minimal, a small dresser and a low bed with a little table beside it. Kicking off his boots and stepping out of his pants he carried her over to the bed and took just a moment to yank down the covers before laying her on her back. Following after her he held himself up above her and hoped the thing held up. Covering her mouth with his own he ran his hand down her side, enjoying the feel of laying with her skin on his again. Marco and the other doctors and nurses had all told him not to do anything too 'exciting' but the hell with them. He had thirty years of heartache to make up for and he was going to enjoy every second of it even if it cost him his life. 

...............................

Waking up the next morning he opened his eyes and looked around the room. When something caught his eye on the table and he glanced over to see something that made his heart throb. It was the picture of the two of them, the one that always sat on the dresser in the cabin. They were both so young in the picture, so happy and carefree, not yet bothered by the troubles of life. God what he wouldn't give to go back to that moment and do things the right way. Glancing down to the woman currently curled up in his side with her head laying on his chest he took a deep breath. Rubbing her bare back he felt her stir and smiled at her as her eyes opened even though he knew she couldn't see it. He may not be able to go back in time but damn if he couldn't still make things right. 

For the rest of the morning they had taken the time to catch up. She had cooked him breakfast which had amazed him as she didn't spill or drop anything. When he had commented on it she simply smiled and told him it was something she had gotten used to. Over their meal she told him how it had happened, how some young pirate had used his devil fruit ability to take away her sight when she had stopped him from robbing the store she had been working in a few years ago. 

"It was hard in the beginning, some things still prove to be more difficult but than other but Jade has been a big help."

"Who's Jade?" he asked, remembering her calling out for the person last night. 

"She's the granddaughter of the man who owned the store I used to work in. Very kind, caring girl. She comes over to visit me and bring me things. Sometimes her fiance comes as well." you told him with a smile. 

Humming he sipped at his tea. "Lass I... I want you to come back with me, back to the ship. I want you with me." he told her. 

Looking down you licked your lips. "I can't." 

"Why, give me a reason." 

"Because Ed it's not fair..."

"Not fair to who?"

"To you and the rest of the crew." lifting your head to face across the table where you knew he was sitting you sighed, "I'm blind and I'm old, I'm a blind old woman and I'll just get in the way." 

Getting up he moved over to kneel down in front of her, taking her hands in his. "You won't be in the way. Darlin' that ship is as much your home as it is mine. You belong there... with me." Looking into her cloudy eyes he took a deep breath. "There something I haven't told you yet, something you should know." When she continued sitting silently he looked down to their joined hands and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "I'm sick lass. Doctors and nurses say I only got a few years left. I know it's wrong of me to come here now, to ask for your forgiveness when I'm at the end of my life but I... I missed you. Not a day has went by that I haven't thought about you. So many years I've wanted to find you but I was a coward. I didn't deserve your forgiveness and I still don't, I never will. But I hoped that you might find it in that kind heart of yours to give me another chance." taking a much needed breath he reached into his pocket "Darlin' I don't have long left on this earth but I'd like to spend my remaining time as your husband. If you'll let me." 

Feeling him place something in your hands you furrowed your brows and felt it over. Running your fingers over the cool smooth band and then over the top of the stone, feeling the little things set around it you gasped. This was your ring, the ring he had given you all those years ago when he had asked you to be his wife. When he had never came back you had left it there along with your letter, believing it should be given to someone more deserving, someone who wasn't broken like you. You could picture it perfectly in your head, the band was a soft gold, the large stone in the center a oval white opal and the little ones gems around it the same color as the sea. Running your fingertip over the engraving along the inside of the band you felt tears fill your eyes as you recalled what was there. 

"Forever my greatest treasure." he said with a heavy heart. "I'm sorry it took me so long to see the truth in those words."

Leaning forward you cuped the side of his cheek and pressed your lips to his. 

.................................

Their wedding had been a long awaited affair. It was simple and on the ship with all of his sons... their sons present. Some of the older ones who had knew her way back when hugged her tightly as she came back into their lives. Marco especially had been ecstatic and quickly apologized for him being an idiot. That night they ate and drank and danced like they were thirty years younger. He held her in his lap which had always been her seat and laughed as their sons drank themselves silly. At one point the world around him had gotten quiet and he just stared at her. She looked so beautiful in her wedding dress, her white hair done up and that carefree smile gracing her lips. It was in that moment that he finally had his family. Pulling her back into his chest he dipped his head to kiss her temple, feeling her fingers brush his neck softly. 

Nineteen months, they had had nineteen months together before she was taken from him. Marco never could figure out what had caused her to get sick. It seemed to happen so suddenly, one minute she was sitting with him in his chair, the both of them talking and smiling and then the next she was falling to the deck. Over the next week she would grow incredibly thin from not eating and weak but not once did she lose her smile. Even at the very end as he held her hand she had smiled up at him...

_"I'll be waiting."_

Those were her last words to him before her grey eyes slipped close and her hand fell limply in his. He had cried for hours beside her, holding her hand still before his sons came to take her away. It was almost poetic now that he thought about it, he had left her all those years ago only for her to leave him in the end. Nineteen months could never make up from all the time they should have had but damn if they hadn't made every second count. In that short time he had never smiled and laughed so much, they joked and talked deeply about the things they had discussed all those years ago. Names that they would have given their children, what they would have looked like. They had both smiled with tears in their eyes when they joked about how much trouble their little ones would have likely gotten into. 

It was a short time but it was a great time. 

Looking around the green fields he knit his brows. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was being in the middle of a battlefield. Looking down at his hands that had just been covered in blood he saw them clean and smooth. Seeing something along his shoulder he lifted it to see it was hair, his hair. Now he was confused. Hearing the crashing of waves he turned and followed them. Going up the hill he spotted something up ahead in the tall grass and his steps faltered a bit. He knew that frame, that hair. Blinking slowly he continued up until he got just behind them, moving to stand beside her a bit. When her e/c eyes lifted to his he felt his heart hammer in his chest. She was young again, her eyes no longer cloudy but bright and her lips full. Hugging her closely he breathed in deeply, no longer feeling the pain in his body as he did so. 

Smiling up at your Edward you lifted your hand to twirl a strand of his golden hair around your finger. "We missed you." 

"We?" he questioned, his brows knitting together a bit. Feeling her take his hand he looked down as she placed it on her slightly rounded belly. His eyes went wide and his breath caught in his throat. Snapping his eyes back up to hers he saw her smile. 

"We." you confirmed and watched as his face broke into the largest smile you had ever seen. 


End file.
